Chapter 2
1509 Words
When Adrian Cole arrived at the party, the music was so loud that it felt like the ground itself was trembling. The lights flashed in bright colors across the wide marble floor, and laughter floated through the air.
The place was filled with expensive perfume and glittering dresses, and servers moved around with trays of drinks as if they were part of the decoration.
Adrian stood at the entrance for a moment, his breathing heavy and uneven. His shirt was stained with dried blood, some of it his, most of it his mother’s. His sleeves were torn from where he had smashed the car door open with his bare hands. There was dust on his trousers, and a cut across his forehead that had not yet stopped bleeding completely.
He looked like someone who had crawled out of a disaster.
And in a way, he had.
The guard at the door frowned at him, but before he could say anything, someone inside noticed Adrian and began to whisper. Those whispers quickly spread like a ripple across water.
“That’s him.”
“Isn’t he the husband?”
“Why does he look like that?”
A few people laughed quietly.
Adrian did not care about any of that. He scanned the room until he saw her.
Vanessa Beaumont stood near the center of the party, dressed in a long silver gown that shimmered under the lights. Diamonds sparkled at her ears, and her black hair fell neatly over her shoulders.
Beside her stood Damien Cross, the man everyone had been talking about lately—the new flame, the charming business manager with a confident smile and a glass of wine always in hand.
Damien leaned close to Vanessa and whispered something that made her laugh.
Adrian felt something twist inside his chest, but he forced himself to walk forward.
Every step felt heavy.
When he reached them, the music seemed to fade in his ears, though it still thundered around him.
Vanessa turned slowly, her eyes sweeping over him from head to toe. For a brief second, there was surprise in her expression. Then it disappeared, replaced by something cold.
“Well,” she said lightly, “you’ve really gone all out this time.”
Damien chuckled. “Is this some kind of costume party we weren’t told about?”
A few guests nearby laughed.
Adrian’s voice came out rough. “Vanessa. I don’t care what you think. My mother is at the hospital. The doctor said she needs surgery. One hundred thousand dollars. Please. Transfer the money now.”
Vanessa tilted her head as if examining a strange object. “That’s ketchup, isn’t it?” she said, pointing at the blood on his shirt. “You even thought about the details. I have to admit, you’ve improved.”
Adrian clenched his fists. “It’s not ketchup.”
Damien stepped closer, placing a casual arm around Vanessa’s waist. “You know,” he said lazily, “this is embarrassing. If you needed money, you could have just asked politely instead of staging a whole drama.”
Adrian ignored him. His eyes stayed on Vanessa.
“My mother will die,” he said quietly. “You only need to transfer it. You spent five hundred thousand dollars on this party. Please.”
The mention of the amount caused murmurs among the guests. Some of them smirked.
Vanessa’s expression darkened slightly. “Do not try to guilt me,” she said. “First, you lied about a car accident. Then you asked for money. Now you show up here looking like this. Do you think I am stupid?”
Adrian took a shaky breath. “I’m not asking you to believe me. I’m asking you to help.”
Vanessa stared at him for a long moment. Then, suddenly, her lips curved into a cold smile.
“Fine,” she said. “If you want the money, kneel.”
For a second, no one reacted.
Then a few gasps sounded.
“Vanessa,” Damien said with amused interest, “that’s a bit much, don’t you think?”
She did not look away from Adrian. “If he wants one hundred thousand dollars, he should show how much he needs it.”
Adrian’s mind went blank.
His pride, his anger, his shame… none of them mattered.
All he could see was his mother lying unconscious on the hospital bed, machines beeping beside her. He could still hear her weak voice in the car, telling him not to worry about her, telling him to run if the car exploded.
He swallowed.
Then, without hesitation, he bent his knees.
He knelt.
The entire hall went silent.
Some people looked shocked. Others looked disgusted. A few lifted their phones to record.
Damien’s eyebrows rose. “Well,” he muttered, “I didn’t expect that.”
Adrian lowered his head. “Please,” he said. “Transfer the money.”
Vanessa stared at him, and something unreadable flickered in her eyes. But it vanished quickly.
She let out a soft laugh.
“This is exactly why I can’t stand you,” she said. “You have no dignity. First you lie about your mother being in a car accident. Now you kneel in public for money. It’s disgusting.”
Adrian looked up sharply. “I did not lie.”
“I will not give you a single cent,” she continued, her voice colder now. “Not today. Not ever.”
“Vanessa… please.” For a long moment, Adrian simply stared at her, as if hoping she would suddenly change her mind.
She did not.
Something inside him finally decided this was enough.
“Then let’s divorce,” he said.
A ripple of surprise passed through the crowd.
Vanessa blinked, then laughed. “So now you want divorce money? Clever. Since you earn less than I do, the court would make me compensate you. Is that your plan?”
“I don’t want your money,” Adrian replied. His voice was calm now, strangely calm. “I only want one thing. The necklace I gave you. The one my mother gave me.”
For the first time that night, Vanessa’s expression shifted slightly.
The necklace.
It was not flashy or expensive-looking, but it had been passed down in Adrian’s family for years. His mother had given it to him when he got engaged, telling him to give it to the woman he truly loved.
Vanessa reached up and touched it around her neck.
“That old thing?” she said. “Fine. Take it.”
She unclasped it and tossed it toward him carelessly. It landed on the floor near his knees.
“I hope you don’t regret this,” she added. “And don’t come crawling back later.”
Within minutes, with Damien standing beside her and a lawyer among the guests stepping forward to assist, the divorce papers were brought out digitally. Vanessa signed without hesitation.
Adrian signed as well.
Just like that, it was over.
He picked up the necklace from the floor and stood up. No one stopped him as he walked out of the party hall.
The music resumed behind him as if nothing important had happened.
But for Adrian, everything had changed.
_____________
When he returned to the hospital, the bright white lights in the hallway felt harsh against his tired eyes.
His younger sister, Clara Cole, was already there.
Clara was twenty years old, still in college, her hair tied back in a simple ponytail. Her eyes were red from crying, but when she saw Adrian, she quickly stood up.
“Brother,” she said softly.
Adrian shook his head. “I tried.”
Clara stepped closer and hugged him carefully, not minding the blood on his clothes. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “We’ll find a way.”
“The hospital will only keep her alive for twenty-four hours,” Adrian said. “After that…”
He could not finish the sentence.
Clara wiped her eyes. “I’ll call my friends. I’ll talk to my professors. Maybe we can raise something. Even if it’s not enough, we have to try.”
Adrian nodded slowly.
Clara squeezed his hand. “Don’t blame yourself,” she said gently. “You did everything you could.”
After a few more words, Clara left to make calls.
Adrian sat alone in the cold hospital corridor. The sound of machines echoed faintly from his mother’s room.
He took out the necklace from his pocket.
For a moment, he simply stared at it.
Then he noticed something strange.
There was a tiny seam along the side of the pendant, something he had never paid attention to before.
Frowning slightly, he pressed his thumb against it.
There was a soft click.
The necklace opened.
Inside, folded carefully, was a small piece of paper and something else that caught the light.
Adrian’s breath caught in his throat as he realized that the necklace was not just a simple family keepsake.
It was hiding a secret.
- Writer
